Seeds 2014 Production Notes: Lighting Pods

I chose to note this particular moment in our closing session of Seeds 2014 because it accurately demonstrates how exercising restraint can be the biggest part of a set. The “pods” that comprise the main focal point of this set are able to do many, many different things. Having 108 moving lights and 48 of our custom Dewey fixtures in these twelve pods is cool enough, but factor in that all of the pods can move up and down separately and/or be positioned to any angle from 0° horizontal to full vertical, and all of a sudden you’ve got a massive arsenal of options. Even with all these options at his fingertips, the big musical moment showcased below was one of the only times our Lighting Designer, Daniel Connell, opted to move them.

His original plan was to do quite a bit more movement but as the set took shape, it just didn’t require all the pod moves. What that meant is that the one time he did move them, it was unexpected and made the most of an already huge musical moment. Never underestimate how beneficial applying some restraint can be to a live event. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

We’ve isolated one of our camera shots just to showcase the dramatic addition this pod move made to the song. You can check that out below or watch the entire night 3 service here.

Andrew Stone is the Production Manager and Audio Director at Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK. His 27 years of touring experience have brought a unique, and sometimes unorthodox, perspective to his approach towards production in the church. He has been a key part of changing the culture behind COTM's live events and he loves sharing his knowledge with other churches. He's been married for 20 years, rarely wears anything but black, and genuinely loves to rock. You can find him on Twitter (@stone_rocks), Instagram (cotmprod), and is a blog contributor on Seeds, COTM's free resource site.